Midjourney is a wild canvas with endless room to play. But if everyone keeps leaning on the same sref, things start to look recycled. The future of AI art should feel fresh, not like a rerun. Originality, happy accidents, and a bit of chaos are what make things feel alive. So how do you push Midjourney past the generic and into something that actually has style?
Mood boards are one way to lock onto a vibe. But you can also do it right inside Midjourney by stacking strong prompts and mixing in image references. Think of it as art direction for the machine.
Going Deeper with Prompts
Say you want to channel the mid-80s horror sci-fi mood. John Carpenter is a perfect touchstone. His films often leaned on Kodak Eastman 5247 stock, which gave them that sharp, textured, cinematic glow. Details like this matter, because they shift your prompt from vague to specific. And specific is where the magic happens.
Side by Side
Simple Prompt:
"Close-up of a woman sitting in the backseat of a dusty old car at dusk, fogged glass around her face catching the reflection of a flashing motel sign, science fiction 80s."
Result:
Flat, soulless images that feel like every filler Netflix movie you have half-watched. Forgettable.
Complex Prompt:
"Close-up of a woman sitting in the backseat of a dusty old car at dusk, fogged glass around her face catching the reflection of a flashing motel sign, subtle tear trail, pastel red-blue palette, ambient flicker from a nearby CRT screen, shot on Kodak 5247 100T 35mm with Zeiss 85mm lens, soft depth of field, Paris Texas stillness meets John Carpenter’s They Live color --ar 16:9 --style raw --v 6 --q 2"
Additional Image Prompts Used.
Result:
The colors breathe. The mood clicks. The reference points whisper through the frame. Suddenly, the image has a soul.
The Takeaway
Midjourney gets powerful when you stop thinking like a user and start thinking like a filmmaker, a photographer, a designer. Reference real tools, real techniques, real styles. Give it DNA to work with. The sharper your direction, the stronger the result.
Make it cinematic! Happy prompting.